Find Your Way Back
by ijustkeepswimming
Summary: My take on what could have happened during the whole Charlie/Angelo/Shandi storyline. And I promise it does not involve Charlie sacrifcing her remaining pride and moving in with him!
1. Chapter 1

_Hi, guys. _Far From Home_ is on a temporary break for a little while. But in its place, I thought I would post a short, four chapter fic based around the whole Shandi storyline. I still don't trust that Angelo was 'only tempted' by her so I thought I would play on that idea. Of course, Joey will never be far from Charlie's thoughts in this one... _Far From Home _should be back after this story is done but I hope that this is a suitable replacement for now. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Find Your Way Back**

**Chapter One**

Charlie Buckton reluctantly agreed to go for a drink with her boyfriend, Angelo Rosetta. She still felt strange around him, knowing that he had kissed another girl behind her back. It hurt. She'd dumped him. But a couple of days ago, after an impassioned plea, she had taken him back. While she still wasn't sure it was the right decision, the overwhelming compulsion not to be alone took over. Since she'd lost her ex girlfriend, Joey Collins and broken her heart over it a thousand times, it was nice to know that she now had someone who would stay with her – even if she didn't want him to. It would never be the kind of love that she and Joey had shared but it had been nice enough. It had been, for the most part, pleasant. And it was the closest Charlie had ever come to a long term commitment. They had been dating now, on and off, for over a year. It was a record and she didn't want to throw it away.

In a lot of ways, Charlie felt like she needed him. He was a popular guy and she found him attractive. She knew that he loved her, despite his indiscretion. And she was grateful that he had at least been honest about it. Eventually. When she'd cheated on Joey, which had been much worse because she'd actually had sex with someone behind her back, she'd behaved in the worst way. She still wondered now if, had she been honest about it from the start, she might have been able to keep her. And if she had, she was sure that they would be together now. And she was sure that they would be happy – far happier than Charlie knew she could ever be with Angelo.

But Joey was gone and Angelo was all Charlie had. A voice in the back of her mind kept telling her to walk out for good, dust herself off and start again. Would her life really be that terrible without Angelo? She doubted it. While it wasn't something she liked to give voice to, she knew there were a lot of flaws in their relationship. He was self absorbed to say the least. But he loved her. And she needed to be loved.

Charlie looked up when Angelo approached with a beer for him and a glass of white wine for her. He sat down, still a little nervous after what had happened over the past few days. They'd talked at length about things and Charlie had stated clearly that she wanted things to change between them. She'd admitted that she felt like she'd been living in his shadow for a long time and that it seemed as if everything was always about him. She wanted him to spend more time with her and really listen to what she had to say and what mattered to her. She also wanted him to take the time to get to know Ruby properly and make more of an effort with her. And with these things in mind, Angelo had vowed to change and be a better boyfriend.

"How was your day?" he asked anxiously.

"It was good," Charlie said, happy to take advantage of him caring about her.

If she was honest, she wasn't entirely sure how long it would last.

"Watson and I caught a car-jacker in the act today," she said. "It was quite thrilling actually. Although, not for the person who owned the car."

Angelo smiled. As happy as he was running the restaurant now, he did miss being a police officer. He was just about to say so when he remembered Charlie's criticisms of his behaviour.

"I'm glad you enjoy your job so much," he said.

She smiled, knowing full well he had been about to turn the tables and make her statement about him. It was nice that he'd made the effort.

"How was your day?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was pretty..."

He trailed off. They both looked up as new girl, Shandi, the woman Angelo had kissed the week before, stood over them. She smiled cheerfully.

"Hey, guys," she said.

Charlie glared. Shandi shifted a little awkwardly.

"Hi," Angelo managed.

"I'm presuming I can't join you."

"You presumed right," Charlie said coldly.

"I uh... I told Charlie what happened," Angelo said, staring at Shandi intently. "You know, about us kissing."

Shandi eyed him curiously but then nodded, opting to keep quiet. She sat down. Charlie opened her mouth to object but Shandi was quick to apologise.

"I didn't mean to interfere in your relationship," she said.

"Why did you kiss my boyfriend then?" Charlie snapped.

Angelo was frozen in place, dreading Charlie's attack and its repercussions.

"It just kind of happened," Shandi said reasonably. "But for the record, Angelo talked about you a lot. And he loves you very much."

Charlie glanced at her boyfriend. She knew he loved her. She thought she loved him. But nothing quite seemed to make sense in her head right now.

"Hey, maybe it would make you feel better if _you _kissed someone else?" Shandi suggested.

Charlie looked disgusted and Angelo blanched in horror. He did not want his girlfriend going off with another person, regardless of his own infidelity.

"You're a beautiful woman," Shandi continued. "I'm sure you could have your pick of the boys... or girls, from what I hear..."

She smiled pleasantly. Charlie swallowed at the thought that people might still be talking about her one time lesbian romance. If people specifically asked, she said she was bisexual and it was something she didn't mind admitting anymore. However, she preferred people not to ask.

"Don't worry," Shandi said. "I'm bi too."

She smiled. Angelo studied both women, anxious about where this could be leading. One thing he was still insecure about was that Charlie might one day leave him for a woman. It was worse than the idea of her leaving him for a man. Sort of.

"I hear it's a bit of a big deal in this place," Shandi said. "Weird."

"Why are you even talking to me?" Charlie asked, wanting the girl to be as far away from her as possible.

And at this rate, she also wanted to get far away from Angelo.

"I'm just apologising," Shandi said. "I didn't mean to cause trouble for you."

"Well, you did."

"It takes two to tango," Shandi pointed out. "You're an intelligent girl. I would have thought you'd be above only blaming the person your boyfriend cheated with. It was Angelo's fault too."

"I'm aware of that," Charlie snapped.

"And yet you're sitting here having a drink with him and laying into me," Shandi said.

"I'm trying to get over what happened," Charlie told her.

She reached for her wine. Shandi worried for a moment she was going to end up wearing it but Charlie just gulped some of the liquid down instead.

"I still think getting some revenge will help," Shandi said.

"It won't," Angelo said quickly.

Charlie looked at him and saw the fright in his eyes. She remembered the lack of power she had had in all the time they had been together. She had never been a vengeful person, not really. The need to show Angelo that he couldn't get away with anything rose up within her. She looked Shandi up and down. She was definitely attractive.

"Fine," she said. "Are you game?"

Angelo looked horrified. Shandi looked intrigued. She grinned and shifted closer. Charlie met her, pressing her lips against hers and immediately letting things get passionate. Angelo stared, torn between finding the idea of two girls kissing quite hot and feeling awful that one of the girls was his girlfriend. Charlie pulled away. Shandi was a little breathless but Charlie looked extremely cool.

"Wow," the blonde said. "You kiss way better than your boyfriend."

Angelo looked offended. Charlie looked smug.

"And I've definitely had better," the police officer remarked.


	2. Chapter 2

_I hope Angelo doesn't creep you out too much in this chapter! Writing him was distinctly uncomfortable but it's going to lead to good things, I promise. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Two**

It was the following evening and Charlie had gone round to see Angelo. They both had a night off and they were continuing to try and rebuild their relationship, although Charlie knew her boyfriend's pride had definitely been wounded when she'd kissed Shandi right in front of him. Having eaten dinner, they sat with a glass of wine each on the couch.

"Charlie...?"

The police officer turned to him, curious over what he might be about to say.

"Did you uh... did you like kissing Shandi?"

He tried not to sound insecure but failed.

"It was okay," Charlie said.

It had actually been very nice, although nobody had ever kissed her the way Joey had.

"You said you'd had better," he ventured. "Did you mean me or...?"

Charlie shrugged. She hadn't meant him. He was an alright kisser but not a patch on Joey, or Shandi for that matter.

"Did you?"

"I like kissing you," she said diplomatically.

"Am I... you know, am I the best or...?" he worried.

She looked at him.

"You're the best guy I've ever kissed," she said.

He looked pleased but then his face fell.

"Did you prefer Joey?" he asked.

Charlie sighed, knowing she should have just lied in order to get out of such an awkward discussion.

"It was different with Joey," she said.

She felt tense. Joey was not someone she had ever easily been able to talk about, especially not with Angelo. As soon as she was mentioned, everything suddenly felt so raw.

"Different how?" Angelo asked.

"I... it's hard to explain."

"Try."

"I don't want to," Charlie told him.

"Charlie, excuse me if I'm feeling a little insecure here but..."

She glared him into silence.

"Do you really want to go into making people feel insecure?" she asked. "I was with Joey before I was with you. You went off with Shandi while I was waiting like an idiot for you to come home from seeing your family."

Angelo swallowed.

"You kissed her too," he reminded her.

"And I never would have even looked at her if it wasn't for you," she said. "So, can we just drop it now?"

"I'd like that," he said hopefully. "I just want to forget anything happened at all. Can we?"

Charlie nodded. He leant in and kissed her.

* * *

One week later, Charlie felt like things were going back to normal between her and Angelo. And that was both a good and bad thing. She'd done her best to forget about his kiss with Shandi and she knew he was sorry, even if he hadn't quite said that specific word. She'd long since decided he was allergic to it. Very rarely had he actually apologised for anything. But things were better between them, even if subsequently, Angelo had gone back to being selfish and largely thoughtless.

The couple arrived back at Angelo's apartment after he'd locked up the restaurant for the night. Charlie flopped onto the couch, very much ready for sleep. She opened her eyes when she felt him standing over her, watching her intently.

"What?" she asked.

He guided her into a sitting position and then sat beside her.

"Do you find Bianca attractive?" he asked.

Charlie looked startled. He touched her knee.

"It's okay if you do," he said. "I mean, it's not okay if you wanted to... you know. But do you think she's hot?"

While Angelo had been working, Charlie had spent a lot of time hanging out with her new friend and little had she realised, it had been a significant point of interest for her boyfriend.

"Do you?" Charlie accused.

He shook his head quickly. This wasn't where he'd hoped the conversation would go.

"I mean, she is pretty but she's not... well, she's not you."

He smiled. She just about managed to smile back.

"I think she's beautiful," Charlie admitted. "So?"

"So, I've been thinking..." he ventured.

She eyed him suspiciously.

"I don't think I've taken full advantage of my girlfriend being bisexual," he said, leaning a little closer.

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked, confused. "What has me liking guys _and_ girls got to do with anything when I'm in a committed relationship with you?"

She emphasised the word 'committed' just in case he ever decided to forget again.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe you could tell me about it."

He kissed her neck. Charlie frowned and pulled away.

"Tell you about what?" she asked.

"You and girls... What you've done with them..."

Charlie created more of a gap between them.

"Aside from the kiss with Shandi, which was not about sexual attraction in the slightest, the only girl I've ever been with is Joey," she said defensively.

Angelo smiled and closed the gap between them, kissing Charlie's neck again.

"So, tell me about her..." he urged.

She felt his hands begin to wander but she was frozen in place.

"No," she said.

"Why not?" he asked, undeterred.

"Because I don't want to," she said, extracting herself from his embrace.

He looked upset.

"Just tell me a bit," he said, pressing himself against her.

She could feel his excitement growing and it made her distinctly uncomfortable.

"I'm not talking about Joey," she told him firmly.

His hands and lips continued to wander.

"Did she turn you on?" he asked.

"I think that much is obvious," Charlie replied stiffly.

"Did you have sex with her?" he asked, not picking up on her mood at all.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"So, tell me about it," he requested, pulling her onto his lap.

She tried to squirm away but he held on tightly.

"Please?"

"I'm not talking about this with you," Charlie told him, still struggling.

"Tell me what she did to you," he said. "What you did to her."

"Why do you even want to know?" Charlie asked.

Angelo had never wanted to talk about Joey before. He knew that Charlie had loved her very much and she'd always thought it had made him anxious. Now it appeared it made him horny. And she didn't like it.

"Because it's hot," he said.

He kissed her again and again, beginning to fumble with her clothes.

"No," Charlie said firmly. "I'm not letting you get off on the idea of me and Joey together."

He paused and looked at her, alarmed to realise just how upset she was.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because it's disrespectful, that's why," Charlie told him, taking the moment to leap off his lap and go and sit safely away in an arm chair.

Angelo studied her, his jaw clenched.

"Why is it disrespectful?" he asked. "Couples experiment with all kinds of things like this."

"Yeah, well I don't want to!" Charlie snapped. "I'm not having you get turned on over the idea of me and Joey together. It's not like those dumb videos that you think I don't know you have on your computer."

Angelo blanched.

"What Joey and I had was real. It was beautiful and it meant a lot to me. She'd be horrified if she knew I was using it in bed with you."

"Well, she's never going to know, is she?" Angelo pointed out, annoyed.

Charlie swallowed, willing herself not to cry.

"She's never going to know because she dumped you," he added coldly. "She dumped you and she left you behind and she promised to come home and she didn't."

"Thanks for the reminder," Charlie replied, curling up a little tighter.

"What, are you unhappy about that?"

"Of course I am!"

"So, you'd rather be with her than me?"

"Right now, yes. Yes, I would."

Angelo stood up angrily, towering over her. She cowered a little.

"You still love her?" he demanded.

"Part of me will always love Joey," Charlie said. "But that's not the point."  
"So, what is the point?"

"The point is that I don't want to provide you with some gross male fantasy."

"No, it's not about that anymore," Angelo decided. "It's about the fact that you'll do anything to protect your precious little Joey. And it's about the fact that if you had a choice, you'd be with her instead of me!"

"I didn't say that!"

"You just did!"

"Only because you're being an arsehole tonight!" Charlie yelled.

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

Standing up, Charlie pushed past him, suddenly wanting to get as far away from him as possible. He chased her to the front door, catching her just in time. Gripping her arms, he pushed her against the wall, leaning in close.

"Tell me you want to be with me," he demanded.

Charlie felt something break inside herself. Any energy she might have once had to fight with him, was gone.

"I want to be with you," she said sadly.

"And you don't love Joey still?"

She shook her head but it was lie.

"Then prove it," he instructed.

"How?"

"Let me finish what I started," he said. "I want to hear all about Joey and what it was like being with her... on a purely physical level. And I want it to be good."

He leant in and kissed her. Charlie closed her eyes.

"No," she said.

For all her lack of fight, she couldn't do it. She couldn't hurt Joey in such a way, even if it was true that she'd never know about it. Angelo pulled back, annoyed.

"Did you just say no?" he asked.

Charlie nodded.

"I can't," she said. "I just can't, okay?"

"Then you're going to lose me," he told her. "If you can't prove that you're over her, even after all this time and everything you and I have been through together, then why would I want to be with you? Why would I want to be second best?"

Charlie pushed away from him.

"Then I'll lose you," she said, storming out through the front door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The following day, Angelo was in a bad mood. He'd pushed Charlie too far and now he was regretting it. Still, he had hope that she would come back to him with her tail between her legs, ready to apologise. He'd needed confirmation last night that she loved him more than she loved Joey, but she hadn't given it. But he was confident that she would. No matter what he did, she always came back to him. She even forgave him for kissing someone else. And now he wondered if she might have forgiven if he had told the whole truth. Busying himself with work, he waited for her to come and apologise.

* * *

Charlie went for a run along the beach, trying to clear her head over everything that had happened over the last week. She paused when she saw Shandi walking across the sand. The blonde looked a little uncertain when she first saw her but smiled anyway. Charlie approached.

"Hi," she said.

"Coming back for more?" Shandi teased.

Charlie managed a bitter laugh.

"Well, I am young, free and single now," she admitted.

"Really?"

Charlie nodded.

"How come?"

"Turns out I couldn't get over what happened," Charlie said. "We talked about everything some more and..."

Shandi paled. Charlie studied her curiously, wondering why she looked even guiltier.

"Yeah," she continued. "He told me exactly what happened and it's too much for me."

"Charlie, I really am sorry," Shandi said honestly. "It was only once. And he felt really guilty afterwards. I mean, I saw him cleaning the backseat of his car the next morning, like he wanted to erase every trace of..."

She trailed off. The sadness in Charlie's eyes told her that she had been duped. Charlie wondered if this was how Joey had felt when she'd tricked the truth out of Hugo. Except, Joey had loved Charlie more than Charlie had ever loved Angelo so perhaps it didn't even compare.

"He didn't tell you the whole truth, did he?" Shandi asked.

Charlie shook her head.

"But I'm glad someone did."

* * *

Angelo was replacing bottles behind the bar when Charlie walked through the door. He turned and offered his most charming smile, surprised by just how quickly she'd come round. Immediately, he poured her a drink. She smiled bitterly, took the glass and threw the liquid over him.

"Charlie!" he said in surprised. "What are you...?"

Angrily, Charlie hurled the glass just past his head. It hit the wall and shattered. Everyone had turned to look.

"You disgust me," Charlie said, sounding stronger than she ever had before. "I can't believe that I've wasted the last year and a half trying to force myself to love you. But you know what, I don't. I never have been able to. I've wanted to but it's just not possible. And you know why? Because you're an arrogant little shit and I hate the person I've turned into since being with you."

"Charlie, I know we argued last night but do you really have to...?"

"This isn't just about last night. It's about everything. It's about everything you've done to me since you waltzed back into Summer Bay after getting yourself off a murder charge!"

Angelo blanched. He hated being reminded of what had happened with Jack. And everyone was still listening.

"You've lied and manipulated your way through this town and you've battered me down to the point where we both thought there was nothing you could do to make me leave you. But I know you slept with Shandi. Then you lied to me. And last night... well, that was unforgiveable," Charlie stated firmly.

"Charlie..."

"Well, we were both wrong," Charlie continued, ignoring him. "Because I do have a limit to the amount of crap I will put up with. And I've gone way past it."

She turned and left. Frozen in place, Angelo stared after her.

* * *

Ruby arrived home, having ditched her friends when word had got round that Charlie had laid into Angelo and stormed out. Worried about her, she walked through the door, calling her name. She found her in her bedroom, sitting on her bed and trying to regulate her breathing.

"Charlie?" Ruby said gently, coming to sit beside her.

Charlie didn't reply but accepted the arm Ruby put around her.

"Are you okay?"

"He slept with her," Charlie said. "And I feel sick that it's take me this long to realise just how damn unhappy I am."

"I thought things had been going well between you until now," Ruby said.

"I thought so too but retrospectively..."

She sighed heavily.

"Is that really the case or are you looking at things with... whatever the opposite to rose-tinted glasses is?" Ruby asked.

Charlie flopped back on her bed. Ruby perched beside her as Charlie proceeded to tell Ruby everything Angelo had done to hurt her and make her feel less than nothing over the last year and a half.

* * *

Angelo had changed his shirt, washed his face and got Alf to clean up the mess of orange juice and broken glass. Every time he and Charlie had broken up, he'd always assumed that they would find their way back to each other. But now his confidence was wavering. He didn't think he had ever seen her so angry before and he wondered now if he had really gone a step too far. Looking up, he saw Shandi burst in, full of apologies.

"I didn't mean to," she said. "I thought you'd told her but I told her and..."

"I know," Angelo said sadly. "I think it's over for good."

* * *

"I have a very inappropriate proposal," Charlie said.

Ruby waited with bated breath to hear whatever her guardian had to say.

"You've only got a few more weeks left of school," Charlie ventured. "And you don't have any exams..."

Ruby smiled, wondering where it was leading. But she hoped it meant no school.

"I need to get away from here," Charlie said. "But there is no way that I'm leaving you. So, if you were willing and the school allowed it... what do you think of coming with me?"

"I'd love that!" Ruby enthused immediately.

Charlie sat up, her eyes shining with joy.

"Really?"

"Uh huh," Ruby said eagerly, nodding her head. "Where are we going?"

"To find Joey," Charlie told her.


	4. Chapter 4

_Welcome to the fourth and final part of the story..._

**Chapter Four**

Charlie had resisted using her job to track Joey down. Instead, she'd researched the progress of the boat Joey had left on in a more old fashioned way. Now it was two weeks later and she was getting a little frustrated at being pushed from pillar to post. But she remained hopeful and so did Ruby. After everything she and her daughter had been through since Ruby had first found out about her parentage, Charlie felt like they were finally growing close again. Spending time out on the road with her had so far been amazing.

"Ready to go for dinner?" Charlie asked.

Ruby nodded and the pair headed out of the hotel together.

* * *

It appeared that Joey had gone from boat to boat over the past year and a half, doing various jobs here and there but refusing to settle. The last skipper she'd worked for, that they knew of, had reluctantly told them that she'd mentioned settling on a coastal town for a bit and trying something new. After a search of his memories, he'd pulled out a name – Charrington Bay – which was where they were now. But after two days of approaching every vessel they could find, it seemed nobody had heard of Joey Collins.

"Don't be disappointed," Ruby said as she and Charlie sat down together. "We'll find her."

"Do you really think so?" Charlie asked.

It was becoming difficult to stay positive but she was doing her best. Ruby definitely helped.

"I really do," Ruby said. "And if I haven't said it before, I'm proud of you for going after what you want. I feel terrible that I didn't know you were so unhappy with Angelo. But I'm glad you stood up for what you wanted. And if you and Joey are meant to be, you'll find each other again."

"What if we're not meant to be?" Charlie worried.

"You are," Ruby said firmly.

She looked down and studied the menu.

"Ha!" she said loudly, making a couple of other customers, including Charlie, jump.

Ruby apologised and pointed out 'seafood bouillabaisse' on the menu.

"Joey's signature dish," Ruby said. "If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is."

Charlie chuckled and they both decided to order it.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, their food was served. Charlie felt stupid to feel connected to her partner somehow even though really, she was no closer to finding her. Ruby paused once she had taken a mouthful.

"This is exactly the same as Joey's," she said.

Charlie took a mouthful. Memories flashed through her mind. She'd missed Joey's meal the first time around but during their brief relationship, Joey had made it for her with pride and it had been every bit as delicious as Ruby had declared.

"She did tell her boss that she wanted to try something new..." Ruby ventured.

Knowing it was a long shot, Charlie got the attention of the waitress and asked her who the chef was.

"Is there a problem?" the young woman asked.

"No," Charlie said. "No, it's lovely. But I'd like to know who made it."

The woman looked unsure.

"We'd like to compliment the chef," Ruby added.

"Okay well, I'll uh... I'll let her know," the waitress said, disappearing into the kitchen.

Ruby had continued eating but Charlie could barely move as she anticipated the chef coming out into the main restaurant. She so desperately wanted it to be Joey.

"Ruby..." she said when a figure appeared from the kitchen.

Across the room was none other than the woman Charlie had been so desperately searching for. Directed by the waitress, Joey moved across the room, as if in slow motion. She paused when she got close enough to see Charlie sitting there. With her eyes never leaving Joey's, Charlie stood up. Her heart hammered in her chest and she realised that no amount of preparation would ever have sufficed for such a moment. Slowly, Joey picked her way through the tables until she came to stand directly in front of Charlie. Ruby watched as the two women gazed at each other, taking in every beloved feature that they had missed for so long.

"What are you doing here?" Joey finally asked.

Charlie licked her lips. Her mouth felt suddenly very dry.

"I um... well, I..."

Silence fell between them.

"We came to find you," Ruby said helpfully.

They both turned to look at her and she smiled.

"We've been travelling all over for the past two weeks," she added. "Looking for you."

Joey turned back to Charlie.

"Why?"

"Because I love you," Charlie said honestly.

Joey's mouth hung open. She wasn't sure if she was glad or annoyed that the police officer still had such an effect on her. Finally realising that she probably didn't have long with Joey, Charlie snapped to attention. Nervously, she took Joey's hands. Joey let her, staring into her face and silently noting that her ex-girlfriend was shaking. She could hardly believe that after all this time they were in the same room together again. Ruby watched, hoping that her mother would do the right thing and really fight for Joey this time around.

"I know I have no right to be here," Charlie said. "And you've probably moved on with your life but I just couldn't stop myself from trying to find you. I love you so much, Joey and I was an idiot to lose you in the first place. I should have known what I had when I had it and I should have fought harder to make you stay. I have missed you every single day since you've been gone. Nothing in my life has ever been the same since you went away. I love you and I need you. And I'm pretty certain that you're going to tell me to get lost and leave you alone but I... I had to try. I've made so many mistakes and I hurt you worse than I could ever forgive myself for, let alone ask you to forgive me. But I had to find you. I had to tell you how I feel."

Patrons and staff had all turned to look. Joey looked at her hands, which were firmly joined with Charlie's. The situation felt so unreal. She tried to speak but the words caught in her throat. She had dreamed so many times of she and Charlie finding their way back to each other somehow but she'd never actually thought it all possible.

"We... we'd have a lot to talk about," she managed.

Charlie nodded.

"I have a lot of things to tell you," she said, glancing briefly at Ruby. "I have a lot of things to confess. And I want to hear all about you and how you've been, even if only as a friend. But I feel like I can be a better person now. I feel like I could give you the kind of love you deserve. If there's even the tiniest part of you that could let me..."

She was interrupted by Joey's leaning forward and crushing their lips together. Closing her eyes, Charlie melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms tightly around Joey's hips and pulling her ever closer. Both women knew that they were finally in the right place.

_

* * *

_

I hope you enjoyed this. It was more of a random musing than anything really. I just wish the show would realise how easy it would be to bring Joey back! Between us, we must have come up with hundreds of scenarios by now! Love, IJKS xxx


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